What is Animal Welfare?

The Professional Master’s Degree Judicial Veterinary Expertise of TECH trains veterinary law experts to prioritize animal welfare.

The concept of animal welfare includes three elements: the proper functioning of the organism, the emotional state of the animal, and the possibility of expressing some normal species-specific behaviors, also it is important to emphasize that in many cases they are complementary. The Professional Master’s Degree Judicial Veterinary Expertise delves into what the World Organization for Animal Health considers as a satisfactory state of welfare when the animal is healthy, comfortable and well fed, can express its innate behavior and does not suffer pain, fear or distress.

Also, it is key to consider the principle of the five freedoms, which is that the welfare of an animal is guaranteed when the following is fulfilled:

1. The animal does not suffer from thirst, hunger or malnutrition, because it has access to drinking water and is provided with a diet adequate to its needs.
2. The animal does not suffer physical or thermal stress, because it is provided with a suitable environment, including shelter from inclement weather and a comfortable resting area.
3. The animal does not suffer pain, injury or disease, thanks to adequate prevention and/or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. The animal can show most of its normal behavioral patterns because it is provided with the necessary space and adequate facilities and is housed with other individuals of its species.
5. The animal does not experience fear or distress, because the necessary conditions are guaranteed to avoid mental suffering.

This principle has formed the basis of many of the animal protection laws in the European Union and other parts of the world, and it is important to emphasize that welfare is not synonymous with health; indeed, health is a particularly important aspect of welfare, but welfare is broader and includes other aspects.

Professional Master’s Degree Judicial Veterinary Expertise

TECH Technological University created this program considering the importance of judicial veterinary medicine and being a new job opportunity that links animal welfare with the evaluation of damages to human health caused by animal products, as well as in the criminal or administrative field. In this way, having a professional in this field requires training from an eminently practical perspective and legal proceedings.

As its main goal is to analyze in detail all the issues that may arise for a veterinarian who wants to enter the world of courtroom skills the institution offers the possibility of learning 100% online, with the latest technology in online teaching software, graphic and schematic content, practical exercises, theoretical lessons, networking opportunities, autonomous learning, forums and much more.

The contents treat in-depth topics such as general aspects, causes, and functions of the expert evidence legislation and jurisprudence, veterinary law, euthanasia, forensic aspects, anamnesis, thanatology and forensic toxicology, veterinary necropsy, disciplinary liability, expert intervention, contentious-administrative judicial proceedings, labor court proceedings, expert investigation in agrifood industry, performance of the experts at the trial or hearing, civil liability, among others.

Re-Learning method

The Professional Master’s Degree Judicial Veterinary Expertise of TECH are developed entirely online. During the 12 months of training, the student has access to the program’s contents at any time and from any device, allowing them to self-manage the study time with maximum flexibility and adapt to each student’s schedule.

It has its own learning method, ‘Re-Learning’, based on asynchrony and self-management. The contents are presented in an attractive and dynamic way in multimedia capsules that include audio, videos, images, diagrams, and conceptual maps to corroborate knowledge.

TECH Technological University

TECH Technological University, the world’s largest university, is also the official online university of the NBA (National Basketball Association) in Latin America. It belongs to the TECH educational group, a Spanish-owned multinational recognized by the Financial Times as one of the 200 fastest-growing companies in Europe. The company, founded and directed by Manuel Sánchez-Cascado de Fuentes, has also been considered the most highly valued Spanish technology company in the last 15 years.

Thanks to its fully digital learning system, it supplies training to students from anywhere in the world. An international trajectory has allowed it to become a benchmark in distance learning, with a catalogue of over 10,000 programs, over 100,000 new students each year, and 500,000 graduates from over 150 countries.

Specialized highly qualified postgraduate programs, they offer their students the best training programs at an international level, being leaders in employability with 99% of their students working in the first twelve months, according to data from the consulting firm KPMG.